Automobile-fender.



G. A. SHELDON.

AUTOMOBILE FENDER.

APPLIOATION'IILBD SEPT. a, 1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETSr-SHEET 1.

Witnesses O.A.SHELDON. AUTOMOBILE FENDER. AI'PLIOATION FILED SEPT. 3,1914.

1 1? 1; Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Witnesses Inventor o Attorneys THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-117740.,WASHINGION. D. C.

TEN men.

AUTOMOBILE-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed September 3, 1914. Serial No. 860,086.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLEs A. SHELDON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Hudson, in the county ofColumbia and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulAutomobile-Fender, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fenders designed for use in connection withmotor vehicles, one of its objects being to provide a device of thischaracter which is simple and compact in construction, can be mountedreadily upon a motor vehicle, and which, when released from normal orset position, will be projected automatically downwardly into contactwith the ground so as thus to prevent any object from passing under thewheels of the vehicle.

A. further object is to provide a device of this character which iscompact in construction and will not readily get out of order.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a motorvehicle having the present improvement combined therewith, the positionof the fender when released, being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 isa front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top planview of the fender and its releasing mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlargedvertical longitudinal section through one of the side members of thefender. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line A-B, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 isan enlarged section on the line C-D, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detail viewshowing one of the latches and adjacent parts.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, E designates aportion of a motor vehicle of any desired type and secured to the frontportion of the chassis of this motor vehicle or to any other suitableportion thereof are forwardly extending arms 1, having clips 2 engagingthe vehicle, while the outer ends thereof are also provided with clips 3gripping the lower end portion of tubular side members 4 closed at theirupper ends, as shown in Fig. 4. Within each of these tubular sidemembers is mounted a tubular slide 5 in which is housed a coiled spring6, one end of this spring bearing againstthe lower end of the slide 5while its other end bears against the closed upper end of the member 4.A bracket 7 extends from the lower end of each slide 5 and has a pulley8 journaled in it, this pulley being en gaged by a chain, wire, rope, orany other suitable flexible element indicated at 9, and one end of whichis secured to the closed upperend of the member 4. The other end ofeachof the flexible elements 9 is extended upwardly outside of themember 4 and is secured to a rod 10 extending throughout the width ofthe vehicle. This rod is secured to one end of an apron 11, formedofheavy canvas or the like, and which apron is normally rolled upon aroller 12 journaled within a hood 13. This roller houses a coiled spring14, one end of which is secured to the roller, while the other end issecured to the housing,and the spring is so arranged that, when theapron is unrolled, said spring is placed under gradually increasingtension. The housing is supported between arms 15 extending from a crossstrip 16, the upper end portions of the members being attached to thecross strip by means of brackets 17.

Formed within each of the members 4 near its upper end is an opening 18,and another like opening 19 is formed in the member near its lower end.Each of the slides 5 has an opening 20 adapted, when the slide is pushedupwardly within the member 4, to register with the opening 18 and, whenthe slide is pushed downwardly within the member 4, to register with theopening 19. A spring pressed catch 21 is mounted on each member 4 withone end portion normally extending into the opening 19 so that, when theopening 20 registers with the opening 19, the catch will swing into saidopening 20 and thus lock the parts against relative movement. Levers 2.2are mounted on brackets 22 extending from the members 4 and each leverhas a latch portion 23 adapted to extend into the openings 18 and 20,thus to hold the slide 5 retracted within the member 4. A spring 24connects the lever 22 to the member 4 and thus serves to hold the latchportion 23 downwardly projected into the openings 18 gaged by a crossrod 25 Fig. 3, is pivotally attached to the interme' and 20. The levers22 are pivotally enwhich, as shown in diate portion of a lever 26fulcrumed at one end upon a portion of the housing 13, as shown at 27 Arod 28 connects the other end of the lever 26 to a foot lever 29 locatedat a point where it can be conveniently actuated by the occupant ofthevehicle E.

It is to be understood that under normal conditions the slides 5 arecompletely housed within the members 1, they being held in such positionby the latch portion 28 extending into the opening 20 and the springs 6being at this time held under compression. The apron 11 is alsocompletely housed within the hood 13 while the connections 9 are heldtaut by the spring 14 pulling thereon through the apron 11. W'henever itis desired to place the fender in action, the lever 29 is actuated so asto actuate the lever 26 and thus shift the latch members 23 out of theopenings 20. Consequently the compressed springs 6 will be released andwill project through the slides 5 downwardly until openings 20 arebrought into register with openings 19, whereupon the latch member 21will lock the slides against further movement within the members; Duringthe downward movement of the slides 5 and the pulleys 8, the connection9 will be drawn longitudinally, thus, unwinding the apron 11 from theroller 12, until, when the pulleys 8 come into contact with the ground,the apron will extend continuously from the housing 13 downwardly to apoint close to the ground. In Fig. 1 the position of the lowered apronhas been shown by dotted lines, the rod 10 being shown in contact withthe pulleys 8. With the fender thus lowered, it will be seen that anylarge object will be prevented from passing under the wheels of thevehicle. Whenever it is desired to return the fender to its initial orset position, it is merely necessary to disengage the latches 21 fromthe slides 5, whereupon said slides can be pushed up in the members 4,thus placing springs 6 under compression until the latch portion 23enters the openings 20 whereupon the parts will be locked. During thisupward movement of the slides 5 the apron will be taken up by the springcontrolled roller 12.

Vhat is claimed is 1. A fender for motor vehicles and the like,including tubular side members, means connecting the same to the frontend of the vehicle, tubular slides within said members, springs housedwithin the members, means for locking the slides in raised position,thereby to hold the springs under compression, a spring controlledroller supported adjacent the upper ends of the side members, an apronnormally wound upon the roller, flexible connections between the apronand the upper ends of the side members, said connections movablyengaging the lower ends of the slides, and means for releasing theslides simultaneously, said springs constituting means for projectingthe slides relative to the side members and for shifting the flexibleconnections, thereby to unwind the apron from its roll.

2. A fender for motor vehicles and the like including side members,spring pressed slides therein, a spring controlled roller, an apronnormally wound on the roller, flexible connections between one end ofthe apron and the upper end portions of the side members, saidconnections being movably engaged by the lower portions of the slides,means for holding the slides against movement downwardly relative to theside members, and means for simultaneously releasing the slides.

3. A fender for motor vehicles and the like, including side members, ahousing supported adjacent the upper end thereof, a spring controlledroller mounted within the housing, an apron normally wound upon theroller, slides within the side members, springs housed within the slidesand side members and constituting means for automatically projecting theslides relative to the side members, means for holding the slidesagainst movement under the action of the springs, means for releasingthe slides, and means operated by the slides when released for unrollingthe apron and moving it downwardly to a point adjacent the lower ends ofthe slides.

4. A fender for motor vehicles and the like, including side members, ahousing supported adjacent the upper end thereof, a spring controlledroller mounted within the housing, an apron normally wound upon theroller, slides within the side members, springs housed within the slidesand side members and constituting means for automatically projecting theslides relative to the side members, means for holding the slidesagainst movement under the action of the springs, means for releasingthe slides, and means operated by the slides when released for unrollingthe apron and moving it downwardly to a point adjacent the lower ends ofthe slides, said means including flexible connections between the apronand the upper portions of the side members, and pulleys carried by theslides and engaging said connections.

5. A fender for motor vehicles and the like, including side members, ahousing supported adjacent the upper end thereof, a spring controlledroller mounted within the housing, an apron normally wound upon theroller, slides within the side members, springs housed within the slidesand side members and constituting means for automatically projecting theslides relative to the side members, means for holding the In testimonythat I claim the foregoing as slides against movement under the actionof my oWn, I have hereto affixed my signature the springs, means forreleasing the slides, in the presence of two Witnesses.

and means operated by the slides when re- CHARLES ARTHUR SHELDON. 5leased for unrolling the apron and means lVitnesses: v

for automatically looking the slides When V. D. SHELDON,

reaching the limits of downward movement. Ron'r. R. SHELDON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O.

